If you missed the 2026 Prix d'Amerique won by Hokkaido Jiel, click on this link and watch it now. Despite being contested on a track with ample moisture, it was a thrilling race with an unexpected outcome as the winner found a seam in the stretch courtesy of a breaking horse to pull off the upset as five horses were within three-quarters of a length at the wire. Less than 24 hours after the finish of the race, over 52,000 people had watched the video linked above and another 10,000 plus watched the English version as well. While it is certainly wonderful to see such a large audience showing interest, it was another video which caught my eye and piqued my interest. French horse racing media outlet Equidia posted a video on X with Ahmed Osilan, the President of a Saudi Arabian project called Saheel Kingdom of Arabian Horses. The initiative is designed to attract global and equine tourism to the area as part of Vision 2030, which Wikipedia describes as a government initiative launched in April 2016 to diversify Saudi Arabia's economy, society and culture. What was most striking during the six-plus minute conversation was that the project will include trotters, and there is a major event planned for 2027. "We have big ideas," said Osilan. "For the trot, it will be the first facility in the region hosting global events and our target date is September 2027. That is when we will have our first event in Saudi. "The ambition is to attract global trot players from around the world to visit Saudi Arabia and have the opportunity to win races and prizes," continued Osilan. Saudi Arabia is, of course, no stranger to hosting worldwide races with huge purses. According to Wikipedia, the region hosted the first Saudi Cup in 2020, and it was won by American Thoroughbred Maximum Security. U.S.-based horses have three wins since the inception, while Japan has won twice and Ireland once. The $20 million race is scheduled for February 14 this year and is meant to fall between the Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream, recently won by Skippylongstocking, and the Dubai World Cup on March 28. "We have a very clear plan for what we will be offering, and it definitely will be very attractive," said Osilan. "It will definitely be competitive to the global standards and hopefully will be able to attract some global champions to come." While Osilan was unwilling to reveal the potential purse of the new event he called the "Saudi Trot Race," even if it approached one-quarter of the prize pool of the Saudi Cup ($5 million) it would be more than triple that of any currently-existing harness race in the world. That would have to appeal to a North American-based owner. With owners often citing the much bigger paydays of stallion duty as the main reason for retiring after just two years of racing, could the Saudi Trot Race be an answer to keeping a horse racing as a 4-year-old and beyond? ► Sign up for our FREE DRF Harness Digest Newsletter The timing of the event isn't without serious issues for horses based in North America. Putting aside that it would likely clash with a number of older trotting stakes typically scheduled for September like the Maple Leaf Trot, Charlie Hill, Miss Versatility and Caesars Trotting Classic, it could also seriously water down the $1 million MGM Yonkers International Trot, which has typically been placed on the second Saturday in September. Would that race need to be moved to retain its stature? One serious question that any owner or trainer will have to consider before potentially taking the journey to Saudi Arabia is the heat. A Google search shows that the average high temperature in the area during September is between 91 and 108 degrees, cooling off to 65 to 82 degrees at night. If someone elected to come from the U.S., it may require a period of acclimation. The first week of December would probably be a better date for North American trotters, though that might not work as well for Europeans with preps for the Prix d'Amerique going on. Regardless of whether the lure of big money could attract trotters from North America, it is always promising to hear about new opportunities for harness racing. Maybe one day we'll have a global circuit of races for trotters where there is clear opportunity throughout the year and easy travel options to all regions. That is something to dream about for the future. News closer to home There was much talk over the last few days about the handle at the Meadowlands on January 24. The total of $3,379,086 wasn't so much noteworthy because it was extraordinary but rather due to the timing of the races. To explain, the Meadowlands went with expedited post times on that Saturday due to an impending snowstorm that was expected to hit the area the following morning. Post time was moved from 6:20 P.M. to 6:00 P.M. and the first race went off at 6:02 P.M. rather than the typical 6:32 P.M. The last race went behind the gate at 10:47 P.M., about an hour earlier than the typical Saturday. So in theory the card was about 30 minutes shorter than normal, an average of two minutes less per race. The shortened program produced the highest handle the track has seen since November 15 ($3,443,597) when it hosted a card with eight stakes races. That prompted the crowd to immediately jump to the conclusion that a quicker pace was ideal for producing more handle. You'll get no argument from this corner that cards need to be quicker and that the appeal of sitting around for long periods of time isn't going to lure a younger generation that wants everything now. However, a one-night sample where the competition was just two other major tracks – Northfield and Woodbine  Mohawk Park – isn't proof positive that a shorter program will work week-in and week-out. It is also worth noting that the storm was hitting half of the U.S., meaning most people were home and looking for something to do. It was also the first Saturday of the year without NFL playoff football. We saw firsthand during COVID-19 that when people are stuck home and there are fewer entertainment options, racing handle jumped. One checkmark in the column saying that the quicker posts could work is that the handle was basically flat year-over-year ($3,379,086 vs. $3,325,777) for that Saturday, and the number looks even better when you take into account a $141K increase in the 2025 Pick 5 pool due to a $28K carryover that night. That shows expediting post times didn't affect the bottom line, but looking at just the starting and finishing points of the card doesn't tell the entire picture. You need to compare apples to apples and see what was different. In a race by race comparison from January 25, 2025 to January 24, 2026, the differences in timing between races basically came in the first two contests and prior to the start of each Pick 4. The Meadowlands shaved 13 minutes from timing during races one and two, going from 47 minutes between races in 2025 to 34 minutes in 2026. The average time between races before the start of the Pick 4 went from 62 minutes in 2025 to 52 minutes in 2026. That's basically the entire time difference between the two cards. Every other race either went off in the exact time for both cards or was a minute or two different, some in favor of 2025 and others 2026. Focusing on races two and three since they both had much shorter time between races, the total handle for them in 2025 was $549,093 compared to just $283,357 in 2026. That's not good. What could be worth consideration is shortening the amount of time prior to the start of the Pick 4. Despite going six and seven minutes shorter between races in 2026 and not honoring a $50,000 guaranteed pool, both wagers handled almost the identical amount to 2025. The bottom line is that we need to examine more than just one variable and evaluate it over a period of time before jumping to a conclusion that it is the best answer for the future.